


Destiny Arcade

by Yukito



Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-19
Updated: 2013-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-05 03:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1088913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yukito/pseuds/Yukito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when you want to keep people entertained on a new planet?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Destiny Arcade

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fresne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fresne/gifts).



> Hope you enjoy! :)

“Eli, I don’t think what you’re asking is possible.” Camile Wray sighed as she leaned against the ancient metal desk in one of the many rooms on Destiny that had been assigned by the crew as a ‘work room’.

Eli sat across from her with a handheld gadget in his hand looking a lot like an excited and expectant puppy. Camile actually hated giving bad news to people, but she had learned over the years to deliver the news in a way that she knew often came off cold. In the end, it was always better this way. People often complained less when they thought you didn’t care.

“But Camile, you _know_ people need to let off some steam.” Eli shifted in his seat. His expression had dulled a little much like when a child knew he was losing a battle with a parent.

“I understand that, Eli, but the fact of the matter is we don’t have the resources for a game room like that. I don’t even know where you’d find material to build half the things you propose on this list. Maybe if you come back with a more realistic idea, we can talk about it. But for now, the answer just has to be no.”

~*~

“Eli?” Chloe’s voice sounded from outside and then she entered the small enclosed space. She smiled when she her eyes fell upon the familiar figure. She hugged her homemade sweater made of a fabric similar to wool, but from an animal two times the size of a sheep. “I thought I’d find you here.”

Eli looked up from where he was crouched and working on the finishing touches on a table. He smiled at Chloe and stood up. He glanced outside the doorway which she had entered and realized the sun was going down. It was no wonder why his eyes had been starting to strain.

“Hey. Sorry. I didn’t realize what time it was.”

Chloe shook her head with a smile. “It’s okay. It’s your day off. But, I did come to get you for dinner. I didn’t want you to miss it like you did last time. How’s it going, anyways?”

Eli had been waiting for Chloe to ask her. She was one of the few people to actually take an interest. He smiled widely and took a step to the side, then made a sweeping gesture as if he were a model on The Price is Right.

“I give you, Novus’ first ping pong table.”

Eli was particularly proud of his accomplishment. He had never thought of himself as handy by any means, but with the guidance of Young and Greer, he was starting to get pretty good at working with wood. 

“Alright, sure, the table is a little crooked and I couldn’t figure out how to fix the dip right here, but, it’s better than nothing, right?”

Chloe took a step forward and examined the table. She looked fascinated. “This is amazing, Eli. I think it’s great.”

Eli beamed. Even if he knew it wasn’t exactly ‘great,’ Eli always enjoyed a compliment from Chloe. He spent the next minute or two explaining how he made the table before Chloe reminded him of dinner and they headed for the mess hall.

The mess hall was what they called the general area where they cooked food. While they managed to get up shelters before the bad weather set in, they didn’t have enough time or resources to build full-fledge houses. The mess hall was one of six structures that had doors and fireplaces. The mess hall itself had no floor except for the dirt on the ground. The building dubbed ‘HQ’ by Everett Young also had no floor, but the four remaining buildings that currently acted as everyone’s living space did. Some structures, like the one Eli had been working in, didn’t even have a door, but the wooden walls provided shelter from the wind and it was bearable on certain days.

It wasn’t a long walk from the half-built house to the mess hall. When they entered, Chloe and Eli were greeted with warmth and familiar faces. It was almost like they were back on Destiny. The food was still foreign and rationed and people still chose to sit with particular people. Eli was thankful that unlike high school, he sat with some pretty cool people.

“There you two are.” Camile waved the younger ones over. “Your food is getting cold.”

“Eli finished one of his projects today.” Chloe announced as she slid into the bench. You always had to sit down carefully on the benches which were just a little more than tree trunks sawed in half. Since they had nothing to varnish the wood with, slivers were frequent.  
Camile raised an interesting eyebrow. “Oh?”

Eli nodded with a smile as he reached for his spoon. “Ping Pong table.”

Eli’s announcement got a few ‘oos’ and interested murmurs from some people who began to ask him some questions about the table. Eli was happy to answer and Camile sat back and had to commend the math whiz on his determination. Colonel Young had told Eli he was not allowed to work on anything ‘non-essential’ on days where he had work to do. It seemed as if Eli did this all on his days off.

“What about paddles?” Brody’s voice cut into the conversation like a knife through bread. People’s conversation faded and several of them looked in his direction. Brody was sitting at the same long table except he was on the end and he looked as if he was always brooding. No one was certain if they had ever seen him smile since they got to Novus. 

“What?” Eli asked.

“Paddles.” Brody repeated himself. “Do you have paddles? And what about a ball. There’s no material here bouncy enough to mimic a real ping pong ball.”

Camile was almost certain Brody looked a little smug. She glanced at Eli and could tell the young man was a little deflated by the obvious obstacle. She looked back to Brody. “I’m sure Eli will find a way. Or maybe he’ll just invent a new game.”

“Yeah.” Chloe said encouraging. “Novus’ first new game. You could be like the new Hasbro.”

“I’d rather be more like Nintendo, but, yeah. Yeah.” Eli’s confidence was slowly returning although it was meeker than before. “I’ll figure something out.”

Eli’s renewed determination seemed to set a frown on Brody’s lips, but he said nothing more for the rest of the night.

~*~

Camile entered the room with the wooden table. Behind here there were sounds of people working to get up more houses. The goal was to have a house for everyone by the beginning of harvest. She thought that Young was working people too hard, but she was thankful she had gotten everyone two days off a week. In her opinion, it had increased moral immensely. 

She walked up to the table with a subtle smile on her lips. It was definitely homemade, but she could tell it was made with love and energy. It almost made her regret telling him to abandon his ‘Destiny Arcade’ idea in the past. 

As she ran her hand over the sanded wood, an idea entered her mind. Eli already had the table and a net made out of discarded materials. She left and returned with a few pebbles from a nearby stream and placed them on the table in a triangle pattern on one side. With a slight smile, she left. Hopefully the rocks would inspire Eli. People around here needed an excuse to have some fun.

~*~

“Dad, this is so cool!” Young Dale looked up at his father with bright eyes as he held onto his father’s big, strong hand. The pair stood at a threshold into a large room filled with lights and sounds. The machines buzzed with promise and children and adults alike milled about with anticipation.

Not able to wait any longer, the young child broke free and hurried into the arcade with excitement. His father watched with a smile on his face before he followed his son. The Destiny Arcade was a place all children in Tenara liked to go.


End file.
